Sick as a Dog
by Ms. Videl Son
Summary: “Happy Valentine's Day, Sesshoumaru...,” Kagome muttered, allowing herself an ironic smile. SessKag...sort of.
1. February 14

**Title: **Sick as a Dog  
**Rating:** PG ( K+ ) – Nuthin' scary here, folks.  
**Disclaimer:** In 1997 (the year _InuYasha_ was first serialized), I was still in elementary school.

**Summary:** "Happy Valentine's Day, Sesshoumaru...," Kagome muttered, allowing herself an ironic smile. SessKag(sort of).

No, I'm not jumping back into the _InuYasha_ fandom. This is just a contest entry for SessKag over on DeviantArt.

--- --- ---

"Ugh!" Kagome grunted, grasping at the splintered mouth of the Bone-Eater's Well with her gloved fingertips. Beneath the threadbare fabric, her dull nails did their best to dig into the wood, but they failed to get proper purchase on the textured surface.

"InuYasha!" the time jumping miko shouted, her words floating out of her mouth on visible puffs of air. She struggled to get a proper foothold against the earthen walls, but her school shoes were impractical for the task.

Oddly, the half-demon didn't respond to her summoning the way he normally would. He didn't respond at all, as a matter of fact.

Huffing in frustration, Kagome lamented, "This is what I get for coming back a day early. Humph!"

Well, she didn't need InuYasha's help, anyway, she sullenly decided as she dug the toe of her left loafer deeper into into the hard clay. She was an independent woman from the twenty-first century, after all! She didn't need a man for anyth –

"Eep!" squeaked Kagome as the dry earth crumbled beneath her feet and caused her to slip. She clung fast to to the wooden construction above her, just barely saving herself from what promised to be an unpleasant fall.

Okay, maybe she didn't need a man, per se, but a high-flying demon savior would sure be nice about now...

"Crap...," she muttered as her fingers began to slip from their holding places. "Help...!" she whispered, whimpering pitifully in the back of her throat as her cotton gloves shredded against the rough wood...

"Aiee!" she screamed as her weight finally pulled her down. Her treacherous backpack – which had opened when she pitched backwards, sending all of InuYasha's ramen, some of her clothing and a roll of medical gauze plummeting into the darkness – preceded her in the fall, promising an uncomfortable (perhaps even deadly) landing on her spine.

Kagome's lost battle with gravity ended within the span of one panicked heartbeat. She was suddenly (and painfully) suspended by her wrist from the lip of the well, a clawed hand wrapped firmly around the base of her palm. InuYasha, her hero, must have heard her calling and rushed to her aid! Though a little slow on the uptake, the hanyou was so –

"_Sesshoumaru_!"

The previously grateful miko felt a new surge of panic well in the roiling pit of her stomach. Sesshoumaru – the dour Lord of the Western Lands and her true knight-in-shining-fire-rat's half-brother – hung over the side of the well, his one and only arm reached out to her. The clawed hand she had recognized from before turned out to be his; the pointed nails were tinted in a sickly, poisonous green and poised right over her radial artery. She was sure that those sharp-looking fingertips could feel her pulse quicken beneath them.

"That's Sesshoumaru-sama to you, human," the demon lord corrected, placing light emphasis on his chosen honorific. The silvery veil of his hair fell down around his face, making Kagome suddenly wonder if it was snowing...

Perhaps out of his usual disgust for conversation with "mere humans," Sesshoumaru wasted no more time in pulling her out of the well one-handed (if Kagome were being completely honest, she would have to admit that she was grudgingly impressed by that. Even InuYasha couldn't lift her without the use of both hands!).

If Kagome had expected him to put her down immediately, she was mistaken. Instead, he allowed her to dangle before him by her wrist, observing her almost curiously with his golden eyes.

After a moment of awkward staring, Sesshoumaru leaned in close to her, his nose twitching mere centimeters from her face. '_He's _sniffing _me_,' Kagome realized in horror as the demon lord began to nuzzle her cheek openly, clearly unperturbed by her discomfort.

"Um...," the young miko began as the initial shock had subsided. She paused to gulp before continuing, "Wh-What are you doing?"

"Smelling."

"Yeah, I got that," Kagome said, feeling a blush erupt in her cheeks. Against her will, it crept down her neck, her chest and legs, making her entire body radiate heat beneath her winter clothes. "But _why_?"

"You have...something," he replied, shifting his trail to the sensitive area behind her right ear.

Kagome bit her lip hard to keep herself from giggling as his feathery breaths circled her earlobe. He was snorting softly, eliciting unbidden laughter for another reason entirely.

A squeak eventually escaped the dangling miko, causing Sesshoumaru to abandon his search momentarily. He leaned far enough back to allow her a clear view of his arched eyebrow. '_What_?' the expression seemed to imply.

Inferring correctly, Kagome explained, "That...um...tickled."

"I do not partake of your scent for your amusement, human," he said plainly. "You have something of an...appetizing nature to this Sesshoumaru."

Though her offended sensibilities, at first, tried to convince her that he meant something inappropriate by his proclamation, her logic quickly reminded her that she was carrying edible products on her person. "You mean like...food?"

"Hn."

"It's all in my pack," Kagome said, the heat in her face slowly dissipating into hot patches of color. "If you put me down, I can get it out for you."

"Hn," Sesshoumaru grunted again before lowering the girl onto her feet.

"Oww...," she complained, hissing as she rubbed at her sore wrist tenderly. It was already purpling where Sesshoumaru had held her and the bruising flesh bore an imprint of his fingers. She'd have to wrap that up before InuYasha saw...

"Human," Sesshoumaru intoned dully, bringing Kagome's attention back to the present (well, past, actually. Her present in the past. However that went).

Blinking up at him, Kagome replied dumbly, "Huh?"

"The victuals."

"Oh! Yeah...hang on a sec," the girl said, dropping down to her knees on the frosty grass so that she could relieve herself of the pack more easily. Kagome dropped it onto the ground behind her and swiveled to face it, diving straight into the already open satchel.

The young miko shoved piles of underwear and socks out of her way, dismissed her medical supplies as potential "victuals," and soon found herself at the bottom of her bag with nothing at hand that Sesshoumaru would consider edible. InuYasha's ramen was currently laying in a heaping pile at the bottomm of the well, so she rather doubted that that was what the demon lord was after. So what...

"Where are the edibles, human?" same-said demon lord demanded, staring blandly at Kagome from several feet away. Had he the ability, the miko was certain he'd have his arms folded in impatience while she searched, just like his half-brother.

"I can't find you're asking for, Sesshoumaru-_sama_," Kagome grumbled, fixing him with an annoyed look of her own. A vein in the taiyoukai's temple throbbed once or twice, but he otherwise kept his irritation to himself. "Maybe if you could tell me what it smelled like, I'd have an easier time locating it."

"Sweet," he replied immediately. "Heavy," he added.

It was Kagome's turn to respond with a raised eyebrow. "'Heavy'?" she replied incredulously.

"Indeed."

"Well, I don't have anything like...," she trailed off as it hit her. "Wait!"

Flipping her backpack onto its side, she immediately attacked the clasp that held the front pouch closed. She could practically feel Sesshoumaru's wonder at her actions, but she didn't care. She was finally onto something!

"Ah-_ha_!" she proclaimed, pulling the sought item out and holding it up victoriously. "Is this it, Sesshoumaru?"

"Sesshoumaru-_sama_, girl."

"Whatever," Kagome replied testily, rolling her eyes at the taiyoukai. She waved the pink, heart-shaped item at him and asked again, "Is _this_ what you wanted?"

Sesshoumaru sniffed at the package warily before agreeing silently that, yes, this was perhaps the sustenance he'd detected. Taking it from Kagome with his only hand, he held it up to his nose and took a better whiff.

"Yes," the demon lord agreed verbally. "What is...this?" he queried, almost as an afterthought.

"Chocolate!" Kagome answered, beaming at him from her place on the snow-covered ground. "It's Valentine's Day in my ti – erm, where I come from, that is."

"Val – eein – time's Day?" Sesshoumaru repeated curiously.

Kagome giggled at his mispronunciation, but carried on with her explanation. "Yeah, something like that. It's a holiday where girls are supposed to give chocolate – sweets, candy, that is – to the...um, _people _that they like. I've got enough in here for InuYasha, Shippo, Sango, Miroku, Kouga...just about everybody, really."

"And so this was intended for that halfling?" Sesshoumaru demanded, holding the chocolate away from his nose for the first time since receiving it. His lip was curled slightly over one fang and his fingertips began to glow acid green.

"Actually," Kagome replied quickly as the melting chocolate began to drip off of his fingers. "I was saving that one for myself. But you can have it, if you want. As a thank you."

Sesshoumaru lifted his eyebrow again and Kagome felt the blush return again, this time burning a couple of degrees hotter.

"For saving me, I mean," she elaborated.

"Very well," replied the taiyoukai. "I shall accept."

Without pausing for any further conversation, Sesshoumaru backed away from her into the surrounding trees, his white clothing somehow melting perfectly into the shadows. Perhaps the light blanket of of snow aided his silent escape...

"Hmph...," Kagome huffed, beginning the task of shoving everything back into her bag. "You're welcome, then."

A few minutes later, Kagome was ready to head into the village. She left the ramen and other fallen items where they were, deciding that she'd just get them on her return trip home late that week.

"I guess I'll just have a bite of Sango's chocolate," she said to herself, sighing.

---

"Fine!" Kagome shouted, marching quickly away from the imprint of InuYasha's body that she'd left in the wooden planks. Kaede wouldn't be happy about the alteration to her floor when she returned from the neighboring hut, but the hanyou had deserved what he got. "I'll go get it right now, you..._you_...AUGH!"

Some hero! She came back a whole day earlier than expected – a day that could have been spent with her family, or studying for all those exams that she wasn't prepared for – just to bring him a valentine! Then, he complains that she didn't bring ramen, too, even though she'd already explained (in part; the bits involving Sesshoumaru had been conveniently left out) about her near-death experience with the well. That self-absorbed...immature..._ungrateful_ little – !

"What the hell was that for?" the disgruntled voice of InuYasha shouted from within the newly-minted crevice. "You didn't have to you-know-what me! All I asked was where my freaking ram – "

"SIT!"

An "oomph" accompanied the heavy thud at the bottom of the crater as Kagome invoked her subjugation spell. "Stupid wench...ow..."

Grabbing her now empty pack from its corner, the miffed miko ignored InuYasha and lifted the flap above the hut door, fully prepared to throw herself out into the raging blizzard swirling through the village. She needed to cool down, anyway.

The warmly dressed demon slayer seated by the fire looked up and asked, "Do you need some company, Kagome-chan?" Kirara mewled at her from Sango's lap, seeming to offer her attendance, as well.

"No thanks, Sango-chan," Kagome replied, flashing a strained smile at her friend. "I'll be right back."

Miroku, who had been banished to the opposite side of the room an hour ago with a palm-blemished face, chimed in, "I would be most happy to escort you through this tiresome weather, Kagome-sama. It would be my duty and honor as a man of the – "

The overly friendly monk was felled by Sango's gigantic boomerang as he crossed the short distance between himself and Kagome, his uncovered hand reaching out for her. He crumpled to the floor next to InuYasha's gouged silhouette, moaning quietly.

"Nice try, pervert," the demon slayer mumbled, leaning her weapon against the wall behind her from whence it came.

"Are you going to bring back more chocolate, Kagome?" Shippo asked, apparently unperturbed by the violence displayed by his female companions. "If so, I want to come, too!"

Kagome shook her head, her bad mood completely faded now. The familiar antics of her friends made her early arrival seem worth it after all. "No, I'm just going to the well to get the ramen I left there. I'll be back in fifteen minutes, tops."

"Are you sure you don't – ?"

"Really, Sango-chan," Kagome interrupted, shouldering her pack. "I'll be right back. Then we'll have dinner, okay?"

Smiling in a resigned way, Sango nodded and settled more comfortably into her spot. "Be careful, then."

"I will."

---

Shivering against the onslaught of snow, Kagome decided that "fifteen minutes, tops" had been a little too optimistic. The snow, which had been coming down hard since she'd first arrived that morning, was now thick on the ground and piled high above her ankles. She'd barely made it out of the village yet and already she'd been gone for half an hour...

A visible cloud of breath rose from Kagome's mouth as she sighed heavily. Her anger at InuYasha had dissipated into the air in a similar way, leaving the young miko nothing but cold out in the winter landscape.

Sometimes, she really wished that he'd be more like –

"Waugh!" Kagome cried as the tip of her loafer caught on something and she fell face first into the snow.

Spitting out a mouthful of packed ice, the time jumping miko raised herself up onto her elbows. "Ow...," she complained to the frostbitten trees around her as she rolled over onto her backside. She perched in a lounging position and looked around for the source of her descent.

When she made her discovery, Kagome's eyes widened to twice their normal size. "Sesshoumaru!" she cried, making an effort to get onto her feet and approach his prone body. It lay before her, blanketed in soft white powder, and didn't move. His silvery hair blended almost perfectly with his surroundings, making him difficult to spot, even up close.

Though her ankle protested to the ascent, Kagome forced herself upright and flung herself upon the fallen taiyoukai. "Sesshoumaru! _Speak to me_!" Either by stubborn willfulness or a complete inability to speak, Sesshoumaru remained silent with his face in the snow.

"Sesshoumaru...," Kagome repeated, softly this time, as she rolled him onto his back.

When the demon lord's face became fully visible to the miko, she gasped audibly. As if startled by the sound, she clapped her hand to her mouth to muffle her surprise. Sesshoumaru's face...his lovely, deceptively angelic face...what had _happened_ to it?

The delicate features of the taiyoukai's face were swollen nearly beyond recognition, making Sesshoumaru look like a living caricature of himself. His golden eyes – the only portion of his visage that ever exhibited any measure of warmth, usually in the heat of battle – were squeezed shut under the overwhelming pressure of the inflammation. The magenta stripes that normally adorned his sharply defined cheekbones were stretched to twice their usual length across his face, the crescent moon on his forehead disfigured similarly so. The worst part, however, was the red blotches that bloomed across every bit of skin visible to Kagome's eyes...they looked like angry chrysanthemums that had taken root under his skin.

Feeling suddenly unconcerned for her own personal safety, Kagome leaned toward Sesshoumaru and placed her ear near his mouth. '_Still breathing!_' she discovered, surprisingly relieved at the implications. "He's alive!"

Almost as if confirming her diagnosis, Sesshoumaru moaned pitifully at that instant, causing Kagome to jump back. "Wench...cho...co...ungh..."

"Huh?" the miko queried, tilting her head curiously at the ailing demon lord.

"Choco...late..."

As if struck physically with a bolt of lightning, Kagome sat up straight, suddenly horrified. "The chocolate!" she exclaimed, slapping a gloved palm to her forehead. "I forgot...dogs are allergic to it...Crap!"

Kagome was sure that if he were conscious (and could open his eyes), Sesshoumaru would be glaring at her accusingly with that heated gaze of his. This was, technically speaking, her fault, after all...

Glancing at the empty yellow backpack she'd brought with her, Kagome sighed, her breath blossoming in the cold air. She'd left her antihistamine back at the hut...

"Well, Sesshoumaru," the miko intoned dully, returning her gaze to the ailing taiyoukai. "I guess you're coming with me. Just know that I'm not looking forward to this any more than you are..."

With the necessary amount of struggle, Kagome lifted Sesshoumaru into a lax standing position and flung his only arm across her shoulders. Her ankle didn't appreciate the extra weight added to it, but she ignored its protests as she began her arduous trek back to the village, unconscious demon lord in tow.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Sesshoumaru...," Kagome muttered, allowing herself an ironic smile.

--- --- ---

**Author's Notes:** Weeeeeeeell...that about wraps it up, I think. At least for Part One...Part Two will be entitled "March 14." Look forward to that.

Btw, Valentine's Day in Japan is a little different than the usual western tradition. Instead of the men showering affection and gifts on the women in their lives, it's the girls who do the giving. They use V-Day as an opportunity to confess their love to the boys they like and give chocolate (sometimes homemade, sometimes not) to their chosen beau. There are different types of chocolate – some intended for friends/family, others for lovers – , but they're always given by girls. On White Day (March 14th), the boys reciprocate with little gifts.

Oh, and in case anybody wants to complain "Kagome could have just dropped back down into the well and gone back to her time" at the beginning of the story, please don't. We're going to assume that there was going to be a hard impact in one time or the other and leave it at that. It's just a plot device, anyway.

Btw, I didn't win anything for this fic over on SessKag (DA group)...alas. Oh, well **n.n** I enjoyed writing this either way.

Un-beta'd.

**. ( . Ms Videl Son . ) .**

**PS: **WAUGH! My fiftieth fanfic here on FF. net **XD **Sweet!


	2. March 14

**Title: **Sick as a Dog  
**Rating:** PG ( K+ ) – Nuthin' scary here, folks.  
**Disclaimer:** In 1997 (the year _InuYasha_ was first serialized), I was still in elementary school.

**Summary: **"Happy Valentine's Day, Sesshoumaru...," Kagome muttered, allowing herself an ironic smile. SessKag (sort of).

Happy White Day **n.n **

--- --- ---

Sesshoumaru's toes barely skimmed the ground as he ran, full tilt, toward his intended destination. He could waste no time dallying on this errand; it had to be completed before the previous month's snow completely disappeared from the landscape. Otherwise, the complications of such an endeavor would increase tenfold. With the wintery frost still lingering on the grass and trees, however, he would be able to slip in and out undetected if he so desired.

Though he was certain that his stealth would not fail him against his hanyou kin even on the sunniest of summer days, the fox kit that clung incessantly to the miko had the acute senses that only a full-blooded canine demon could boast. If he were to get as close as necessary, the child would raise alarm against him and his chore would become far more tiresome. Though confident that he could best InuYasha's band of demon slayers, fighting them would take up time that Sesshoumaru didn't have. For the dark urgency that pressed him forward at top speed could not be denied...

He had to have the miko. He had to have her _now_.

---

Precisely one month ago was when he had encountered the human female last. His attempted poisoning (which remained a point of contention between them; he claimed that it had been done intentionally, she maintained that it was an accidental act of treachery) had brought them together under the most awkward of circumstances; he had been her medicinal charge in the midst of a human village.

"Hold _still_," she had muttered gravely, rubbing a creamy substance between her naked palms. The pinkish patches on his face and torso throbbed a little in anticipation of relief.

Observing her through his peripheral vision rather than directly, Sesshoumaru replied, "Do not command me, wench."

"Fine," she said, forcing the words out through clenched teeth. "Hold still, _please_."

The taiyoukai shifted into another position, just to annoy her. "Your chances of this Sesshoumaru's compliance would increase without the insolent tone."

Finally, she screamed in anguish, "Augh! I give up, _be _itchy!" With that, she wiped her slick hands on the coarse blue material of her tightly-fitting hakama and stood. Tossing the open tube of ointment at his feet, she raved, "And take care of your own rash! You spoiled...ungrateful..."

Sesshoumaru, venerable Lord of the Western Lands, indulged in a bit of silent amusement at the woman's expense as she stormed out of the hut in a huff, landing with a crunch in the snow outside. He wrapped his pelt more securely around his torso, ignoring the painful way it rubbed against his irritated skin, and leaned back against the creaking wall. This girl was pathetically easy to annoy, which perhaps explained why his worthless half-brother kept her. The wench's constantly fluctuating mood swings could be quite entertaining in small doses.

Suddenly aware of the smirk twitching at the corner of his lips, Sesshoumaru smoothed his features back into his usual placid expression lest anyone wander in and witness his uncharacteristic display of emotion. Luckily, the humans of this village had the sense to leave the demon lord to his own devices and rarely bothered him; the only ones who dared belonged to InuYasha's little troupe. InuYasha himself, unsurprisingly, had fled the settlement altogether and, thus, had not visited his ailing half-sibling. This was how Sesshoumaru preferred it.

The demon lord had even been assigned his own quarters – no less than he deserved, of course – to separate him from the village residents (as if he would lower himself to socialize with such vermin). The thatched little building was hardly up to the high standards of his noble position, especially considering the previous occupant had expired from an unknown plague (as the taijia had gleefully revealed to him), but Sesshoumaru hardly cared one way or the other. There was no human sickness that could invade a demon's body and the crumbling walls and roof need only shelter him for another day or two at most. He could burn the wretched thing down if he liked when he left.

Of course, the solitude wasn't entirely agreeable to the Western Lord; boredom was more deadly to Sesshoumaru than the "chocolate" that had been his recent downfall. His primary source of entertainment over the past three days had been InuYasha's emotionally unstable wench (the attempted murderess herself), and even she only deigned to visit him when another dosage of his treatment was required. Sometimes she'd pay a special visit if he threatened one of the villagers, but otherwise he was left to his own limited devices. Perhaps he shouldn't have encouraged her to leave so quickly...

_Snap_.

"Shh! He'll hear you!"

"I don't care if he does!"

"But Mama says he's dangerous..."

"What's he gonna do? Sneeze on me?"

Sesshoumaru's ears twitched slightly as two little voices made themselves known in the vicinity of his temporary home. They weren't quite outside his doorway, but they were very close; children, it sounded like. Children completely untrained in the art of stealth.

"Haku-kun...please, let's go back home. I don't wanna see the doggie anymore..."

'_Doggie?_' Sesshoumaru thought, feeling a stab of annoyance at the child's ignorance. Didn't humans teach their young the difference between canines and their demon brethren?

"Stop whining! I'm not gonna let anything hurt you."

"Promise?"

"Yes! Now shut up."

Slowly, the burlap cloth that separated the inside of his hut from the white landscape outside was pulled back and two little faces peeked through. There was one male and one female (as far as he could tell, anyway; most human children looked alike to him) and they were searching the hut with wide eyes. Quickly, the demon lord lowered his eyelids so that the little intruders would assume he was asleep. Sesshoumaru focused his other senses on the task of keeping track of the intruders' movements.

"Is the doggie in there?" asked the higher voice (the girl, presumably).

"Shh! He's right there, Mizu-chan," replied the boy. Sesshoumaru could hear the cloth slither against the earthen floor and knew that the child had ventured further into his hut.

"Where are you going?"

"To get a closer look. Stay there!"

"Haku-kun – !"

"_Shh_!"

The boy's footsteps were hardly quiet as he moved around the fire at the center of the room and approached Sesshoumaru's deceptively quiet body. He made sure to breathe lightly so as not to startle the boy before the appropriate moment.

"He's sleeping!" the child announced gleefully to his accomplice. "C'mere!"

"N-No, thank you..."

"Come here, Mizu-chan."

"No! I want to go home!"

"He's harmless!" the boy argued, nudging Sesshoumaru's leg with what felt like his foot. "He's not gonna do nuthin'."

The girl had begun to sob, her heavily salted tears pungent in the small space. "I...want to...go..._home_!"

"It's perfectly safe, you big baby!" the boy chided in exasperation. "Watch!"

When Sesshoumaru felt the boy's finger prod at his face, he felt it was time to strike. Reaching over his body to grab the pudgy appendage in his only remaining hand, he opened his golden eyes to glare at the boy before saying, "Dinner."

The child squealed like a pig being slaughtered and jerked his arm back. Sesshoumaru had no desire to keep him there, so he released the boy immediately, sending him stumbling back onto his rump. After taking a deep breath and resuming his screaming anew, he launched himself onto his feet and raced out of the hut. The girl had already turned tail and run, presumably back to the home she was so eager to hide in before.

Now, undoubtedly, the woman would return and –

"_SESSHOUMARU_!"

The taiyoukai allowed himself a small smile as the miko reacted according to the plan he had executed. He wiped the expression from his face, however, when her footsteps became audible outside his hut.

The demon lord turned his face toward the doorway in order to properly greet the disturbance that was undoubtedly about to burst into his presence. Sure as the rising sun, there she was, throwing back the cloth and inviting herself inside without so much as a warning knock (as was her usual custom).

"Wench."

"Don't you 'wench' me you low, vile, disgusting...," she trailed off as if she couldn't find something evil enough to call him, ending her statement in a wordless shriek. "How _could _you?"

"It was easy," Sesshoumaru replied softly, unperturbed by her display. "He was no stealthier than my idiot half-brother in a field of dry twigs. This village does not turn out many warriors, I gather."

The girl clopped toward him – her strange footwear leaving wet slushy prints in her wake – and stood immediately before him, hands perched on her hips. "You know exactly what I meant! Why on earth would you scare little children? What kind of a bully are you?"

"The kind that does not abide intrusions upon his privacy," the demon lord replied coldly, irritated by her presumptuous insults. She failed to amuse him any further. "Begone."

"No!"

"I said begone, wench," he reiterated, turning his face away from her as a signal for her to leave. Her voice was beginning to grate on his already thin nerves.

Obviously not one to take a hint, the miko moved back into his line of sight. "And I said _no_. You can't use your boredom as an excuse to torture the villagers, Sesshoumaru!"

"I disagree."

"These people have done nothing to you!" she continued, throwing her hands up into the air wildly. "You're a _guest_ here, in case you've forgotten."

The demon lord sneered up at her. "I forget nothing, wench. You, however, forget your place."

The girl bent down to look him directly in the eyes, her nose hovering mere centimeters from his own. Sesshoumaru was so startled that he didn't even think to rebuff her. "Excuse me, my _lord_. How could I forget that the immature jerk in front of me who bullies children is a member of the nobility?"

"Watch yourself, woman," he warned, flexing his acid green claws against his leg where she could see them.

"And stop calling me 'woman,' 'wench,' and 'girl'!" she demanded, wagging a finger at him. "If you expect me to respect you, then you'd better respect me first. My name is Kagome – Ka – go- _me_!"

"Very well, Ka-go-_me_," Sesshoumaru replied, injecting a touch of irony into his words. "Though I feel that I must remind you that I am _your_ responsibility here in this village. If my boredom requires an outlet, it is up to you to provide. Those children suffered only because you have been neglecting your duty."

Instead of responding to his statement in that insufferable tone that he had been expecting, Kagome stared at him, wordlessly, for a few lengthy seconds. "So...wait," she began after some thought. "You're saying that you're lonely in here without me?"

Sesshoumaru's hackles instantly rose. "That was not my meaning."

"But that's what you said," she accused, a smile stretching across her face. Her mood had changed again so quickly that he'd missed it, leaving the taiyoukai playing catch up.

"No."

"Yes, it was."

"No, woman, you are mistaken."

"_Ka-go-me_."

"You try my patience past endurance," he said, snarling audibly right in her face.

The miko was hardly unsettled by the threatening sound. Instead, she stood up straight, crossed her arms over her chest, and grinned down at him in triumph. "You could have just said something, you know," she scolded lightly. "If you really wanted my company that badly, I could have – "

At the end of his indulgence, Sesshoumaru leapt upon her and subdued the woman, leaving his pelt laying in a coil on the floor behind him. He pressed her against the opposite wall, his claws at her throat, and leaned in close enough to feel her breath puffing against his cheeks. She was no longer smiling. "You irk me, Ka-go-me."

He allowed the claw on his index finger to slide down the curve of her jaw and rest at the place he knew her pulse would be most easily felt. There it was, quick in its pace and fluttering erratically. A single prick from his talon would suffice to put an end to the unsteady beat...

But Sesshoumaru had no inclination to kill the girl. She was a pest, certainly, but one that proved valuable from time to time. Even if she had been the instigator of his recent ailment, he would not have survived the onslaught of inflammation that had beset him without her curious treatments. If he killed her now, her healing abilities died with her.

"S-Sesshoumaru..." she whispered, still failing to honor his name as she should. He hardly noticed anymore; his given name alone now sounded natural falling from her lips. "Please..."

"Please?" he repeated silkily, his silver hair falling around them like a privacy screen. He could almost picture her as a lover shielded from prying eyes by a wispy gossamer veil.

"Ses...shouma...ru...," the girl whispered as her chocolate brown eyes began to droop closed. Her heavily thudding heart was stirring the blood within her cheeks and staining them the delightful shade of melted raspberries.

Absently, he used the finger he had threatened her with previously to stroke softly at her throat. He secretly enjoyed how his motions could manipulate her pulse. "Hm?"

"I – " she stuttered, pausing to lick her lips with the tip of her tongue. He inched closer. "I – "

"What, Ka-go-_me_?" He knew that this was bad – she was bad _for_ him – but he just...couldn't...

"I – I sense a shard."

Yet again, this girl had caught him by surprise. Rising slightly out of his bow, he demanded, "What?"

"A shard – of the shikon jewel. It's close," she elaborated, turning her face away from his and latching her attention onto the doorway. Her breath was coming in quick pants as she said, "I have to go."

"Now?"

"Wha – ? Yes...I'm sorry." And she seemed sincere. She really was sorry to leave him this way.

Sesshoumaru was miffed, anyway. "Begone, then," he ordered, growling deep within his chest as he released her and took a step back. "And I shall do the same," he added.

"You...," she began, rubbing warm friction into her arms. She seemed to miss his body heat. "You aren't leaving, are you?"

"I think I must."

"But – "

"Kagome-chan!" a voice – the taijia's, he believed – interrupted from outdoors. "A demon! Get out here, quick!"

Kagome looked betwixt him and the door indecisively. After a tentative pause, she took a step in his direction. "At least take the Cortisone with you," she chided softly, side-stepping him to retrieve the forgotten tube of ointment on the floor. "It will get rid of those blemishes faster."

Feeling petulant, the taiyoukai turned his nose up (literally) at the offering. "I am no longer in need of your services, girl."

"Kagome-sama!" she was beckoned again from out of sight. This time, it sounded like the monk. "We need you to – _oomph_!"

Kagome allowed her eyes to skitter to the doorway for a few miliseconds before returning her increasingly panicked gaze to Sesshomaru. "Please," she said, reaching out to grasp his wrist and pull it towards her. When he didn't resist, she turned his hand palm upwards and deposited her gift into it. "Just take it."

"It is yours...," he protested, knowing that he was simply looking for excuses now.

The next interruption was from his useless half-brother; "WENCH! Get your ass out here! _Now_!" The sounds of battle were now clear; the demon had invaded and was proceeding to tear apart the village, dwelling by dwelling.

"I can get more," she insisted, folding his clawed fingers over the plastic vessel. "Really," she added.

After a few moments' pause, he agreed, "Very well."

"Good!" she exclaimed as her hand tightened around his own. "Thank you!"

"_Kagome_!"

"I'm coming!" the miko shouted, releasing the demon lord and rushing to the door. The girl gave him one last timid look and said "Sorry" again before she parted.

Annoyed, Sesshoumaru clenched the ointment in his fist as he went to retrieve his pelt. He had a long journey home...

---

Sesshoumaru was well balanced on a branch near the edge of the village, watching the fight below him with only mild interest. They fought well together, those demon slayers, even if they were not up to the task of taking on a demon of his caliber. Lesser demons, however, would fall easily under their prowess and it made him wonder how a pathetic being such as Naraku could so easily avoid dying at their hands.

'_Simple_,' he answered himself. '_He avoids direct battle. He knows very well that they can kill him and, thus, cowers where they cannot reach his true body._'

The taijia was, perhaps, the best among them. She had received careful training from her clan, as evidenced by her graceful yet bold movements, and fought admirably with that overbearing weapon of hers. She would not fall so easily in battle.

The monk ranked second in ability, decided Sesshoumaru. His training seemed to be less regular than the taijia's, resulting in attacks that were erratic and sometimes sloppy. However, he had an underlying natural ability that made up for these weaknesses and proved himself a worthy adversary, especially when one considered his powers of holy purification in conjunction with his combat skills.

The miko – '_Ka-go-me_' – was definitely third, if only because her hand-to-hand fighting abilities seemed either limited or non-existent. She hovered near the edge of the battlefield, taking careful aim with her arrows, and shot any invading creatures away from her companions with admirable accuracy. Her archery skills appeared somewhat amateur, but they promised to improve over time and she was already able to hit moving targets with fatal exactitude.

The least promising of their little troupe (excepting, perhaps, the fox kit who cowered on the behind a tree) was, naturally, his feeble half-sibling. InuYasha, despite his demonic lineage and ability to wield Tetsuseiga, was pathetically weak in comparison to what he should have been. Had he been honing his skills properly, the halfling could have quickly killed the demon himself and spared his companions the trouble. Instead, he wielded his venerable father's sword as if it were a branch used to swat flies; the blade was hardly living up to its true potential under its current master. Pitiful.

The demon they fought was a white fox, a shape-shifter. She changed from one pale form to the next – a rabbit, an owl, even a mouse – clearly unable to hold one image for long. Her limit appeared to be ten minutes, at best, once the shard was confiscated from her body during the fight. It now rested within Kagome's possession and glowed a healthy pink.

Currently, the fox was disguised as the snow woman of myth, the first attempt at humanoid transformation Sesshoumaru had yet witnessed, and struggling against the Tetsuseiga. InuYasha was baring down on her with it, slashing and hacking at anything he could get at, and she was retreating – towards Kagome.

In a clever move that InuYasha failed to see coming, the fox dodged out of Tetsuseiga's path of destruction and leapt at the miko, hissing, "The shaaaaardssss!"

Kagome, clearly unprepared for the assault, could only stare in dumb horror as the white fox threw herself bodily at her, claws outstretched to the miko's throat. The demon would have tackled her to the snowy ground and ripped her to pieces –

– had not Lord Sesshoumaru stepped in her way. "Consider this as repayment of my debt," the taiyoukai intoned dully to the girl as he fluidly sliced the fox in half with his acid whip. "For healing this Sesshoumaru," he added, glancing over his shoulder at the girl.

"R-Right," Kagome replied, staring up at him from her seated position on the ground with profound bewilderment.

"Hey!" InuYasha squawked in the background. "What the hell's going – "

"We shall meet again," Sesshoumaru promised. "Soon."

He'd left the girl there with her friends, anticipating their next encounter with reluctant pleasure.

---

Sesshoumaru's hindsight ceased as he approached his quarry's position. The girl was close...she had walked this path less than an hour before. Her scent – which had been imprinted on his mind as melted raspberries, despite the irrationality of such a categorization – touched the fauna that surrounded him, clinging to every leaf, berry and wisp of grass that peeked out from beneath the snow. At furthest, she was a mile away.

Triumphant, the demon lord launched himself into the treetops and commenced his chase from a loftier position. He sprung from limb to limb lightly, not even putting down enough weight to scatter the snow that weighed heavily upon the trees' extremities. He was an invisible ghost in an enchanted forest.

After pausing momentarily on a sturdy branch to sniff at the air, Sesshoumaru changed directions slightly and headed northwest. She was close, very close. Within a few yards, even.

He would have her soon.

Three more trees aided the taiyoukai's silent footsteps before he landed on a fourth. A clearing was stretched out before him with a fire crackling merrily down below. A mixed pack of humans, demons and halflings were seated around the blaze, comfortably enjoying each other's company. They laughed, bickered and indulged in horseplay together, clearly in a friendly manner. They were blissfully unaware of the predator that lurked upwind from them, plotting his next course of action.

As heartwarming as he was sure this gathering was, it impeded Sesshoumaru's ultimate goal. For him to collect the prize he sought, he would have to wait. Wait until the miko found herself alone and without protection.

The demon lord settled himself against the tree's trunk, grudgingly willing to be patient. He hoped the girl – '_Kagome_,' he silently reminded himself – would be quick about separating herself from the group, however. The urgency that compelled him to hurry would not allow him to rest easily knowing that time was slipping away. If Kagome did not expose herself soon, he would simply wait until InuYasha and his companions were all asleep and abduct her while their guard was down. He would be in and out of the campsite before the rest of the demon slayers could register his presence.

In the meantime, Sesshoumaru waited.

---

Luckily, the brooding taiyoukai didn't have to wait long for his prey to make herself vulnerable. Just within an hour of his arrival she announced, "Since there's a hot spring nearby, I'm going to have a bath before bed. Want to come, Sango-chan?"

"No thanks," the taijia refused politely, yawning into her cupped hand. The monk was nodding off at her side, the rings of his staff jingling every time he jerked himself awake. The kit was already dozing comfortably in a lump of fabric on the opposite side of the fire. "I don't know how you can bathe everyday."

Kagome shrugged as she bent to retrieve her satchel. "Habit from the twenty-first century," she supplied offhandedly.

To Sesshoumaru's mild surprise, the demon slayer nodded in understanding. "I suppose the people in your time have safe access to hot springs daily?"

For some reason unknown to the demon lord, the miko giggled. "Sort of...," she agreed smilingly. "It's called 'indoor plumbing.'"

"Well, until then, I think I'll stick to once a week," said the demon slayer. "Enjoy your bath, Kagome-chan."

"Thanks, I will. I'll be right back, InuYasha," she added, turning her face up to a tree on the opposite side of the clearing from Sesshoumaru's hiding place.

In response, the tree snorted, "Keh."

Kagome then proceeded to leave the relative safety of her camp for the spring she claimed was nearby. She whistled as she abandoned the light and emerged into the dark, weak and helpless with her human senses and without the guardianship of her halfling friend...

This was his chance.

Sesshoumaru's patience lasted long enough to allow her to get out of earshot of her companions. Once he was positive that the attack could not be heard, the demon lord pounced.

"INU – _mmph_!" the girl's screaming was forced back down her throat as Sesshoumaru's clawed hand covered its escape portal. Her back was drawn flat against his torso, disallowing her the freedom of escape. The best she could do against his firm grasp was squirm.

"Be still, girl!" he commanded, snarling softly into her hair. His own breath stirred up the scent of melted raspberries and his olfactory senses thanked him for it. "This Sesshoumaru has no desire to harm you. I simply require your assistance."

Kagome stopped wiggling immediately, awarding unspoken trust to the demon lord. "Asshishtance?" she repeated from behind his hand. His palm tingled where her lips had brushed against it.

Sesshoumaru lowered his appendage from her mouth, but did not fully release her. He had no intentions of doing so until her full cooperation was established. If she did not accede to his desires, that was no matter; his firm hold would enable him to spirit her away easily.

"Yes," he replied as the pulse he felt against him slowed to a regular beat. "My ward is ill."

Kagome turned her head so that she could properly look up at him, clearly startled by the news. "Rin is sick?"

"Is that not what I just said?"

The human miko flushed in her familiar way before grudgingly admitting, "Yeah...but sick how?"

"I do not know," Sesshoumaru admitted, a strong feeling of ineptitude hardening within his throat. "You must come with me at once. Her fever grows steadily worse."

"Why don't you ask a healer?" Kagome queried curiously, now completely relaxed within his lethal grasp. "Surely I'm not the only person you know that can mix herbs."

"No," the demon lord agreed. "But the best healers in my acquaintance are trained in demon medicine and have little knowledge of human physiology. All the human herbalists I have sought out in the Western Lands have diagnosed her with an untreatable plague. I thought you, with your curiously effective medicines, might have another opinion on the matter."

Kagome bit her lip, obviously wary of promising anything. "I'm not a doctor, Sesshoumaru. I don't have that kind of training."

"Nonsense," the taiyoukai negated, the hard feeling in his chest sinking towards his heart. "This Sesshoumaru has witnessed your skill personally. You brought my venerable self back from the brink of death."

Kagome's blush returned with force, flooding her entire face and creeping into her neck. "Well...yeah, I guess, but that was just a bad allergic reaction. I happened to have an Epipen with me – I'm allergic to bees, by the way – and no one's more surprised than me that it worked..." the girl trailed off, sighing heavily. She leaned her head back so that it was resting against his collarbone before continuing, "It was luck, Sesshoumaru. Luck and a good guess as to what was wrong with you. I don't know if I could identify a mysterious 'plague.'"

"Could you make an attempt?" Sesshoumaru asked, dangerously close to the fine line between requesting and begging. "Even if you are unable to assist, you...it could not be detrimental to the girl."

Kagome resumed chewing on her lip, clearly indecisive in regards to his plea. She twitched against his chest, wringing her hands in her clothing, and making small noises of worry and regret.

"Please," Sesshoumaru added after some prideful hesitation, flinging away another shred of his immense dignity. He hoped he had judged the girl correctly and that she would not mock him for his display of emotional weakness.

To the contrary, Kagome returned her eyes to his face and stared at him in disbelief. The demon lord promptly averted his gaze in shame. "Wha...What?"

Sesshomaru steeled himself to say it again; "_Please_," he reiterated, grinding his fangs together.

There was a long, awkward pause during which nothing could be heard but the whistling wind. Kagome was still in Sesshoumaru's hold and the demon lord showed no inclination to let her go.

"Alright. I'll do it," Kagome finally said, her voice barely audible against the winter gale. It died down soon enough, carrying her quietly whispered offer away with it.

The taiyoukai looked at the girl to survey her sincerity. Finding her expression firm in her offer, if a little wary, Sesshoumaru took Kagome at her word and readjusted his arm so it more securely encircled her petite form. "Hold on."

"'Hold on'?" she repeated, trepidation swirling about in those chocolate brown eyes of hers. "Hold on to whaaaaaaaaaaaah!"

Without any further warning, Sesshoumaru leapt into the trees with the girl and her medical bag, a new hope prompting his speed to increase even further. Kagome clung tightly to his neck with both arms and hid her face from the wind in the silky softness of his kimono.

--- --- ---

**Author's Note: **F#$! I meant this to be a TwoShot, at most, but it seems that another chapter is required...sigh. I would've completed it in this segment, but it's already twelve pages long...Out of respect for people (like myself) who suffer from symptoms of ADD, I decided to cut it shorter than originally intended and leave a cliffhanger. With any luck, I'll be able to finish it with part three...that's my aim, anyway.

( 1 ) I'm sure most of y'all are already familiar with Epipens, but just in case you aren't, it's an emergency treatment for sudden/severe allergic reactions called "Anaphylaxis." The basic symptoms can include (but are not necessarily limited to) swelling in the nose or throat, hives, trouble breathing, etc. People carry them around for different reasons (in Kagome's case, bee venom...which I made up, btw.) in anticipation of contact with the substance they're allergic to.

Un-beta'd

_**. ( . Ms Videl Son . ) . **_

– _Good Girl, Bad Dog. SessKag._


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